Planning battery energy storage system in line with grid support parameters enables circular economy aligned ancillary services in low voltage networks

Abstract

Due to fast response time and the ability to charge and discharge efficiently, the battery energy storage system (BESS) has become a promising option for ancillary services in low voltage networks. The BESS planning is more critical where only selected cost parameters were considered, and the sustainability aspects were ignored in most cases. In this paper, BESS planning is re-imagined from a circular economy perspective that primarily allows the optimal use of battery capacities without compromising the grid support. A novel method for optimal siting and sizing of commercially available residential BESS for ancillary support in low voltage residential feeders is proposed. This method incorporates the cost of BESS operation in the planning stages to provide an accurate estimate of BESS for grid support. The implications of introducing BESS operation cost at the planning stages are demonstrated by solving four different optimization problems with the costs defined as over-voltage, voltage fluctuations, BESS costs (investment, O&M costs), and multiple objective operations. To validate, the proposed method is applied to an IEEE European low voltage feeder and a modified version of this test feeder to an Australian scenario using particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. It is found that the proposed method successfully reduces the BESS costs and provides an appropriate estimation of how the BESS installations can provide grid voltage support. Compared to the existing methodologies for mitigating over-voltage, the net required BESS capacity for the European and Australian feeders was reduced by 7.21 percent and 9.58 percent, respectively. The total BESS capacity in the European and Australian grids was decreased by 41.48 percent and 48.06 percent, simultaneously compared with the methodologies for reducing the voltage fluctuations. Overall, the optimal sizing and siting approach we proposed not only reduces the voltage fluctuations and required battery capacities but also promotes circular economy by lowering the resources in the BESS planing for ancillary services.